(305 ILCS 5/11-8) (from Ch. 23, par. 11-8)

Sec. 11-8. Appeals - to whom taken. Applicants or recipients of aid may, at any time within 60 days after the decision of the County Department or local governmental unit, as the case may be, appeal a decision denying or terminating aid, or granting aid in an amount which is deemed inadequate, or changing, cancelling, revoking or suspending grants as provided in Section 11-16, or determining to make a protective payment under the provisions of Sections 3-5a or 4-9, or a decision by an administrative review board to impose administrative safeguards as provided in Section 8A-8. An appeal shall also lie when an application is not acted upon within the time period after filing of the application as provided by rule of the Illinois Department.

If an appeal is not made, the action of the County Department or local governmental unit shall be final.

Appeals by applicants or recipients under Articles III, IV, or V shall be taken to the Illinois Department.

Appeals by applicants or recipients under Article VI shall be taken as follows:

(1) In counties under township organization (except such counties in which the governing authority is a Board of Commissioners) appeals shall be to a Public Aid Committee consisting of the Chairman of the County Board, and 4 members who are township supervisors of general assistance, appointed by the Chairman, with the advice and consent of the county board.

(2) In counties in excess of 3,000,000 population and under township organization in which the governing authority is a Board of Commissioners, appeals of persons from government units outside the corporate limits of a city, village or incorporated town of more than 500,000 population, and of persons from incorporated towns which have superseded civil townships in respect to aid under Article VI, shall be to the Cook County Townships Public Aid Committee consisting of 2 township supervisors and 3 persons knowledgeable in the area of General Assistance and the regulations of the Illinois Department pertaining thereto and who are not officers, agents or employees of any township, except that township supervisors may serve as members of the Cook County Township Public Aid and Committee. The 5 member committee shall be appointed by the township supervisors. The first appointments shall be made with one person serving a one year term, 2 persons serving a 2 year term, and 2 persons serving a 3 year term. Committee members shall thereafter serve 3 year terms. In any appeal involving a local governmental unit whose supervisor of general assistance is a member of the Committee, such supervisor shall not act as a member of the Committee for the purposes of such appeal, and the Committee shall select another township supervisor to serve as an alternate member for that appeal. The township whose action, inaction, or decision is being appealed shall bear the expenses related to the appeal as determined by the Cook County Townships Public Aid Committee. A township supervisor's compensation for general assistance or township related duties shall not be considered an expense related to the appeal except for expenses related to service on the Committee.

(3) In counties described in paragraph (2) appeals of persons from a city, village or incorporated town of more than 500,000 population shall be to the Illinois Department.

(4) In counties not under township organization, appeals shall be to the County Board of Commissioners which shall for this purpose be the Public Aid Committee of the County.

In counties designated in paragraph (1) the Chairman or President of the County Board shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the county board, one or more alternate members of the Public Aid Committee. All regular and alternate members shall be Supervisors of General Assistance. In any appeal involving a local governmental unit whose Supervisor of General Assistance is a member of the Committee, he shall be replaced for that appeal by an alternate member designated by the Chairman or President of the County Board, with the advice and consent of the county board. In these counties not more than 3 of the 5 regular appointees shall be members of the same political party unless the political composition of the Supervisors of the General Assistance precludes such a limitation. In these counties at least one member of the Public Aid Committee shall be a person knowledgeable in the area of general assistance and the regulations of the Illinois Department pertaining thereto. If no member of the Committee possesses such knowledge, the Illinois Department shall designate an employee of the Illinois Department having such knowledge to be present at the Committee hearings to advise the Committee.

In every county the County Board shall provide facilities for the conduct of hearings on appeals under Article VI. All expenses incident to such hearings shall be borne by the county except that in counties under township organization in which the governing authority is a Board of Commissioners (1) the salary and other expenses of the Commissioner of Appeals shall be paid from General Assistance funds available for administrative purposes, and (2) all expenses incident to such hearings shall be borne by the township and the per diem and traveling expenses of the township supervisors serving on the Public Aid Committee shall be fixed and paid by their respective townships. In all other counties the members of the Public Aid Committee shall receive the compensation and expenses provided by law for attendance at meetings of the County Board.

In appeals under Article VI involving a governmental unit receiving State funds, the Public Aid Committee and the Commissioner of Appeals shall be bound by the rules and regulations of the Illinois Department which are relevant to the issues on appeal, and shall file such reports concerning appeals as the Illinois Department requests.

The members of each Public Aid Committee and the members of the Cook County Townships Public Aid Committee are immune from personal liability in connection with their service on the committee to the same extent as an elected or appointed judge in this State is immune from personal liability in connection with the performance of his or her duties as judge. This immunity applies only to causes of action accruing on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly.

An appeal shall be without cost to the appellant and shall be made, at the option of the appellant, either upon forms provided and prescribed by the Illinois Department or, for appeals to a Public Aid Committee, upon forms prescribed by the County Board; or an appeal may be made by calling a toll-free number provided for that purpose by the Illinois Department and providing the necessary information. The Illinois Department may assist County Boards or a Commissioner of Appeals in the preparation of appeal forms, or upon request of a County Board or Commissioner of Appeals may furnish such forms. County Departments and local governmental units shall render all possible aid to persons desiring to make an appeal. The provisions of Sections 11-8.1 to 11-8.7, inclusive, shall apply to all such appeals.

(Source: P.A. 93-295, eff. 7-22-03; 94-524, eff. 8-10-05.)